David talks to John Naughton about what’s coming next in the tech revolution and where it’s taking us. From quantum computing to cryptocurrency, from AI to the Internet of Things: what’s hype, what’s for real and how will it shape our politics. Plus we discuss what China understands about technology that the rest of the world might have missed.Talking Points:&nbsp;The metaverse is the next big thing in Silicon Valley. It feels like the logical conclusion of prevailing trends.<ul><li>This is not actually a radical break.</li><li>The gaming industry is developing the metaverse. And big tech is investing heavily in gaming.&nbsp;</li><li>The metaverse bypasses many elements of the real world that people like Zuckerberg are keen on, such as government regulation.</li></ul>What will be the next big technological shift? Are we in a kind of lull?<ul><li>The internet of things has not gone away.</li><li>Blockchain, which enables crypto, is still a significant technology.</li><li>Proponents of Web3 want to disrupt centralized control of the Internet.</li></ul>Does the Chinese system show us that there is another choice on technology?&nbsp;<ul><li>The general view of autocracy is that it can’t be done. The problem is imperfect information.</li><li>Has technology made it possible to escape the autocrat’s trap?</li></ul>Technology has undeniably changed our lives, but the liberatory promise does not seem to have been realized.<ul><li>When will technology give us control over our own time?&nbsp;</li><li>The kind of capitalism that drives the tech industry is unstable unless it grows.</li><li>The relentlessness of consumer society is antithetical to a particular kind of creativity and a particular kind of politics.</li></ul>Mentioned in this Episode:<ul><li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/profile/johnnaughton" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">John’s column for the Observer</a></li><li><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/snow-crash/neal-stephenson/9780241953181" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Neal Stephennson, Snow Crash</a></li><li><a href="https://www.talkingpoliticspodcast.com/blog/2019/172-libra" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">John on TP talking about Libra</a></li><li><a href="http://www.econ.yale.edu/smith/econ116a/keynes1.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Keynes’ essay, ‘Economic possibilities for our grandchildren’</a></li><li><a href="https://play.acast.com/s/history-of-ideas/arendtonaction" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">History of Ideas, Hannah Arendt on Action</a></li><li><a href="https://www.mctd.ac.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy</a></li></ul>Further Learning:&nbsp;<ul><li><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/what-is-the-metaverse/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">What is the metaverse, exactly?&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/11/21/1056988346/web3-internet-jargon-or-future-vision" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">What is Web3?&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/18/microsofts-activision-plan-shows-gaming-will-be-at-heart-of-metaverse" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">More on Microsoft’s takeover of Activision Blizzard</a></li></ul>And as ever, recommended reading curated by our friends at the LRB can be found here: <a href="http://lrb.co.uk/talking" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lrb.co.uk/talking</a><hr> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information. Become a member at <a target="_blank" rel="payment" href="https://plus.acast.com/s/talkingpolitics">https://plus.acast.com/s/talkingpolitics</a>.

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